Burns eager to impart importance of pride and self-respect to region's Indigenous youth

The fixture, set to be played at Apex Oval, will feature much of the state's Indigenous rugby league talent.

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St George Illawarra's Tyrell Fuimaono and the Cronulla Sharks Braydon Trindall and Will Kennedy will all play for the Wellington Castlereagh All Blacks that will feature a swath of players with ties to Dubbo, Wellington and the wider region, while South Sydney Rabbitoh Braidon Burns will be present but unfortunately won't play due to a season-ending injury suffered in June.

While many more players will take to the field across the weekend, all four made the trip to Wellington to spend time sharing culture and knowledge with the region's students during the beginning of their NAIDOC week celebrations.

Burns, a Coonamble product, said it was great to bring a message of inclusion and understanding to an area where Indigenous people have experienced such significant hardship.

"It's great to get out here with the other boys from the NRL and show them a bit of where I'm from and my home," Burns said of the short regional tour.

"For me, when I grew up, I wasn't really proud of where I came from and who I was, you see that stigma around being a blackfulla and especially in Wellington that's been a big thing."

"It's been noted very openly that Wellington's had a lot of trouble with drugs and other things like that, so I just want to show that it's not all about that."

NAIDOC Week is officially set to begin on Sunday.